In Search of Pearlshttps://insearchofpearls.wordpress.com
The kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it. -Matthew 13:45-46Sun, 12 Mar 2017 10:25:27 +0000enhourly1http://wordpress.com/https://s2.wp.com/i/buttonw-com.pngIn Search of Pearlshttps://insearchofpearls.wordpress.com
My blog has moved!https://insearchofpearls.wordpress.com/2013/04/01/my-blog-has-moved/
https://insearchofpearls.wordpress.com/2013/04/01/my-blog-has-moved/#respondMon, 01 Apr 2013 05:59:31 +0000http://insearchofpearls.wordpress.com/?p=182]]>My blog has moved! Please go here: http://insearchofpearls.blogspot.com/ for a BIG announcement! And please follow my new blog!! ]]>https://insearchofpearls.wordpress.com/2013/04/01/my-blog-has-moved/feed/0insearchofpearlsEternalhttps://insearchofpearls.wordpress.com/2013/03/21/eternal/
https://insearchofpearls.wordpress.com/2013/03/21/eternal/#respondThu, 21 Mar 2013 00:45:09 +0000http://insearchofpearls.wordpress.com/?p=178]]>Sometimes when I’m driving around doing errands, or bustling about the house doing chores, I will get this strange feeling. An, “All is meaningless” sort of feeling. Not in a depressed sort of way, but in a way that recognizes that this life we are living on Earth, is not our forever. It’s just a blip on the radar screen of Eternity.

Ecclesiastes 1:1-14

New International Version (NIV)

Everything Is Meaningless

3 What do people gain from all their labors
at which they toil under the sun?4 Generations come and generations go,
but the earth remains forever.5 The sun rises and the sun sets,
and hurries back to where it rises.6 The wind blows to the south
and turns to the north;
round and round it goes,
ever returning on its course.7 All streams flow into the sea,
yet the sea is never full.
To the place the streams come from,
there they return again.8 All things are wearisome,
more than one can say.
The eye never has enough of seeing,
nor the ear its fill of hearing.9 What has been will be again,
what has been done will be done again;
there is nothing new under the sun.10 Is there anything of which one can say,
“Look! This is something new”?
It was here already, long ago;
it was here before our time.11 No one remembers the former generations,
and even those yet to come
will not be remembered
by those who follow them.

12 I, the Teacher, was king over Israel in Jerusalem. 13 I applied my mind to study and to explore by wisdom all that is done under the heavens. What a heavy burden God has laid on mankind! 14 I have seen all the things that are done under the sun; all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind.

I was driving home from the grocery store the other day and suddenly one of those feelings hit me. It’s almost like in my mind I am removed a bit from this life I’m living, and I can see outside of myself a bit. I saw people rushing to and fro trying to accomplish their daily tasks as quickly as possible without regard for anyone around them, or for their creator watching over them. Obviously we all have things that just have to be done. Like grocery shopping. And chores. But in the grand scheme of things what difference does it make? In the grand scheme of things, what does matter?

Matthew 22:36-40

New International Version (NIV)

36 “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”

37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’[a]38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’[b]40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

and also…

James 1:27

New International Version (NIV)

27 Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

So although we all have temporal needs and personal responsibilities that we must take care of on a daily basis, I’ve been thinking a lot about how I can live more eternally. Thinking of what really matters in the long run. What matters most? God, and God’s people. God loves ALL of His children. He created us ALL in His image. No matter where we come from, our ability or disability, our race, education level, economic level… He sees US, and longs for us to see Him. He loves us and longs for us to love Him and to love each other. And that is all that really matters. I’m trying to live everyday focusing on how I can better love God and His people. How can I better love and serve my family? How can I reach out to the fatherless? How can I make a difference that matters beyond today or tomorrow or next year? How can you?

Remember, this Earth is not our home.

]]>https://insearchofpearls.wordpress.com/2013/03/21/eternal/feed/0insearchofpearlsDon’t Blinkhttps://insearchofpearls.wordpress.com/2013/02/13/dont-blink/
https://insearchofpearls.wordpress.com/2013/02/13/dont-blink/#commentsWed, 13 Feb 2013 08:12:31 +0000http://insearchofpearls.wordpress.com/?p=125]]>I always have good intentions of posting new blogs every week. But as you can see, that has not happened. I’ve definitely been kept busy by my four little ones. Anyone who says being a stay at home mom isn’t work, has never tried it! It seems impossible to me, but Kaisa is over a month old already! How is that possible? Time goes so much faster once you have children. Crazy fast. Impossibly fast. Just look at this photo:

That’s not Kaisa. That is Cana, at one month old. My firstborn child. Cana, who is now officially a SIX year old. You heard me (read me?) right! My heart hurts a bit when I really let myself digest that fact. My heart also soars though! Everyday I am proud of her and I love watching her grow into the beautiful little lady that God created her to be. Now look at this picture:

Just barely 2 year old Cana and itty bitty newborn Loyal. My heart catches in my throat looking at these old photos. Where have my babies gone?! That tiny baby boy just turned FOUR years old! I’m not kidding! Where oh where has the time gone? Here’s another for ya:

Yep, that precious baby is newborn Judah. He still has the same little round face. Just not as little. In less than 2 weeks time, he will be TWO years old. Even though he is the size of a 3 year old! LOL. He’s my little big guy. I remember snuggling him and nursing him like it was yesterday. Time goes SO fast once you have babies! Their lives are slipping by, each day they do something new, they grow a little bigger, they take another step away from childhood and toward adulthood. Don’t blink or you might miss it! Just look at them now!

How can those little squishy babies be so big now? In a blink! As I watch Kaisa grow so quickly that you can almost watch it happening in real time, and then I look on my big kids and see how very quickly they are growing up, I am completely overwhelmed by parenthood. It’s such a joy and a blessing. It’s also such a huge responsibility. I have so many hopes for their lives. Things I want them to experience, memories I want them to be able to claim, lessons I hope they learn, character traits I hope to see instilled in them. And as the days and weeks turn into years gone by, I wonder if I am doing my best by them. I wonder how they will remember their childhoods and how that will effect their adult lives. Am I teaching them well? Are they really listening?

Being a parent also leads me to think of the heavenly Father, and how he sees us, His children. As much as I love and adore my children, God loves them, (and us) even more. Far more. When I gaze into my baby’s eyes and my heart literally aches with such love for her, that is merely a weak reflection of the Father’s love for us. Can you imagine? And so I ponder, what does God think when he watches us, His children carry out our lives? I imagine He has many hopes for our lives too. He has a plan for each of us. Are we paying attention? Our lives are passing us by, years slipping away… how much of that time has been wasted? Lost forever. What could we have done that we didn’t? What path did God lead us to that we didn’t take? And what consequences will that choice have for us, or for the lives of those that we were meant to touch… but didn’t. God’s speaking to us everyday. Through his Word, a sermon, that still small voice. Are we listening? He is gripping our hearts, trying to melt the walls we have built. Through that homeless man with the sign on the corner, through the pleading eyes of a child. Do we feel it? When we hear, does it change how we live? When we feel, does it move us to act? And for all those times we look away, we choose our own path, what does God think of that? I think he is grieved. Grieved for us and for what we are missing out on. Grieved for those who we could have shared His love and truth with. He sees how short this life is. He knows when we are leaving this world. Our time is finite. How are we using it? It’s gone in a blink. Don’t miss it.

]]>https://insearchofpearls.wordpress.com/2013/02/13/dont-blink/feed/7insearchofpearlsImageloyalittyJudahnewbieall4Kaisa’s Birth Storyhttps://insearchofpearls.wordpress.com/2013/01/25/kaisas-birth-story/
https://insearchofpearls.wordpress.com/2013/01/25/kaisas-birth-story/#commentsFri, 25 Jan 2013 06:47:10 +0000http://insearchofpearls.wordpress.com/?p=115]]>41 weeks pregnant. Kaisa was born on the day I officially became 41 weeks pregnant. That’s the most pregnant I have ever been.

This picture was taken about 3 hours before she was born.(Notice behind me on the table…Love Your Labor Oil!)

Cana was born at 38 weeks gestation (labor induced due to pre-eclampsia), Loyal was born at 40 weeks and 2 days, and Judah was born at 38 weeks (also induced for pre-eclampsia). Once you hit that estimated due date, it’s hard not to become anxious for the big event. Even though “full term” is supposed to be anywhere between 38 and 42 weeks pregnant. I read that eating fresh pineapple could help bring on labor because of a certain enzyme found in it. I ate 2 entire pineapples by myself within 2 days after my due date. It didn’t work. I tried walking around more, lifting the heavy overfilled laundry baskets that I had been making Josh move around for me before. Nothing. I tried using evening primrose oil and drinking red raspberry leaf tea as natural methods of preparing ones body for labor. I busted out the exercise ball and bounced and bounced and bounced. Nope. Nothing. Well, I shouldn’t say nothing. After all I had been having contractions anywhere from 2-5 minutes apart (depending on the night) for several hours (sometimes all night long) every night for weeks. 4 weeks. And before that I had been having them every few days or so, just not as consistently. So it wasn’t exactly true that nothing was happening, it’s just that the same thing kept happening, and then eventually stopping. There were a handful of times that I was really starting to think that those sessions of prodromal labor were going to become true labor. At least twice I was so convinced, I was about to head in to labor and delivery, and then it stalled out. Prodromal labor was not my favorite thing ever. When you have so many false alarms, it really makes you second guess yourself once labor actually HAS begun. Anyway, this is what happened. On Friday January 4th, 2 days past my due date, I was complaining to a few friends about how I just wanted labor to start, that I was desperate to avoid induction this time around. And one of these friends recommended I buy some Love Your Labor oil and have it shipped priority, so that it would arrive by Monday. Find the oil here:

Now I didn’t really believe that it would help, but I was getting desperate because I knew my doctor wanted me to consent to being induced for being “post dates” or past my due date. Even though everything I had read in pregnancy books, or literature handed to me FROM their office told me it was normal to go as long as 42 weeks pregnant. And even though I was having non-stress tests twice a week as well as weekly OB appointments to make sure the baby was ok. And she always looked great. In fact the day I was 40 weeks and 1 day pregnant I had a normal OB check-up. Everything looked good, doc shook my hand and left the room. Just when I was about to leave, his nurse came in and nonchalantly informed me that my induction was scheduled for the following Tuesday at 5am. I was in shock. Nobody asked me, they just signed me up and told me that was what I was going to do. I didn’t even argue with her, I just left, came home and wrote my doctor an email saying I wasn’t comfortable with being induced, since I wasn’t even 41 weeks yet. All that to say, I wasn’t sure that the labor oil would do any good, but at that point, I was desperate, and I thought at the very least it would smell nice and perhaps feel good used in a massage. And after reading the story of a friend who used Love Your Labor Oil it seemed at least hopeful that it could help me. Her story is here:

So that Monday I was anxiously awaiting our mail delivery, watching out the window. When it came I was so excited, but I was also nervous. I was afraid it would do nothing. I was also afraid it would work! By the time the mail came, Josh was already at work, and I didn’t want to use a bunch of the oil, have it work fast and be stuck at home with all 3 kids and no husband. But I couldn’t leave it unopened after waiting all weekend for it. So I decided to open it up and just dab a little bit on my wrists so I could smell it, and rubbed the teeniest bit on my belly, this was at 5pm. Very shortly after I started having mild, random contractions. This wasn’t unusual for me, so I didn’t pay much attention to it at first. But by about 10pm I realized that the contractions were stronger and coming consistently so I started timing them. Five minutes apart. I decided to wait until Josh got home (around 11pm), rub some more oil on my belly, sprinkle some on my pillow so I could smell it while I slept, and go to sleep. I’m not sure if I kept contracting through the night or not, because I slept fine all night until about 6am, when contractions started waking me up.

It was now Tuesday January 8th and I had a non-stress test and OB appointment scheduled for that afternoon. I decided to use more oil and really try to get things going, hoping that I would be in active labor and then wouldn’t have to go in for the appointments at all. So I poured a little labor oil into the bathtub, climbed in and slathered oil all over my belly, chest and neck. I also kept a rag nearby with oil on it for frequent sniffing. I think my bath lasted 2 or more hours. I kept adding hot water. Contractions continued all day long, 6 minutes apart, but not serious working contractions yet. And so I headed off to my appointments. I had the NST first, and everything looked great. The monitors were picking up my contractions, and they started to hurt a bit more, but I still wasn’t sure. Headed to see my OB at 5pm. He checked my cervix which was dilated 3 centimeters. Then came the fun part. My doctor trying his darndest to convince me I should be induced. Right then. Only because I was almost 41 weeks pregnant. I argued that my blood pressure was good, and my NST was good and it’s not uncommon for women to go as late as 42 weeks. He agreed with me on all counts, but said that all doctors have horror stories about babies not surviving, that he wasn’t trying to scare me, but that he had a patient whose baby started moving funny in her belly, so she came to the hospital and the baby seemed fine at first, but then later appeared to be in distress so they took her in for an emergency c-section but the baby didn’t make it. He never claimed she was post dates, but maybe she was, I don’t know. Either way, I don’t know how that story related to me. I feel terrible for the family who lost their child. But everything appeared healthy for me and Kaisa, so I wasn’t going to be induced which would put me and baby at risk for many things (uterine hyper-stimulation (which I did experience with both previous inductions), uterine rupture, baby in distress, emergency c-section…) without medical reason. He was visibly angry that I wasn’t going to consent to induction at this point. He wanted to make sure that I knew that he was going to write in my chart that he highly recommended induction, and that I refused. I said I was ok with that. He left the room and came back saying that he consulted another physician and they agreed that I should be induced that night, and he just wanted me to know that. I told him, I had been having contractions every 6 minutes all day long, and they were starting to get stronger, that I really thought I was in early labor and would probably have the baby that night, or the next day. He shook his head and left.

When I got home, I used more Love Your Labor Oil and started bouncing on my exercise ball. By the time I got all the kids to bed and ate a little something, it was 9pm and contractions were definitely picking up in intensity. I sent Josh a text message letting him know I was fairly certain that she would be born that night. He asked if he should come home early, but I told him not to. By 10:30, I was sure this was it, so I called my dad and asked him to come pick up the kids. I felt bad that I had to wake the kids up, and I felt worse for my parents who would have to put them pack to sleep after having their rest disrupted like that. Cana was slightly confused and grumpy, but went to her grandpa’s car without much fuss. Judah barely woke up, as I was buckling him in. Loyal was the most confused and he just kept climbing back in bed. But finally they were all off and no sooner had they left, did Josh pull into the driveway. Things were definitely picking up speed and intensity, I was leaning over my ball and vocalizing through contractions. But I could still chat between them, so I thought I had better labor at home a while longer. My lower back was hurting, so I had Josh rub some labor oil into my back. After that the pain got much worse and I headed to bed to try and relax better through it. Josh didn’t like that, he thought we should leave for the hospital then, but I had only just entered my “serious” phase, and all my Bradley Birth books, told me I should labor through my serious emotional signpost at home for a while so that I didn’t show up at the hospital too early. After about 30-40 minutes in bed I realized I was having a harder time managing on my own and called for Josh to start the van and call labor and delivery and tell them we were coming in. I was afraid labor would stall while traveling to the hospital, but that was not the case. Back labor set in hard and it is not easy to find a comfortable position while riding in a car and hitting bumps in the road. Luckily there was little traffic and we got there very quickly. It seemed like each contraction was harder at this point and every time I moved I had another one. I had a difficult time getting out of the van and into the wheelchair Josh fetched for me.

By the time we got to the hospital it was 1:30am. After I got gowned up, a nurse was trying to help me into a wheelchair so they could move me to a different room and the gown kept flapping wide open. She was sweet and kept trying to cover me up, but it just annoyed me. I didn’t give a rip if she wheeled me down the hall stark naked. I was too busy to be bothered by such things. And if you know me at all, you know that that is really saying something! I found that standing and leaning into Josh was the only way I could relax through each contraction. She asked me if I wanted an epidural. I have always strived for a natural childbirth, but I have always failed. I decided to have my cervix checked and I would decide after that. Remember at 5pm I was a three. When they checked me again at 1:45am, I was only a 4. And by now I was HOWLING through each contraction. Not knowing how much longer I had to go, I asked for an epidural. The process for getting the epidural seemed to take forever. First there is paperwork to sign, call the anesthesiologist, give me an IV and wait until they have given me and entire bag of fluid, listen to the anesthesiologist tell me about the epidural and how it works, and what I need to do, get me in position, and wait for my contraction to end before inserting the needle… it took FOREVER. Once it was in and I settled into bed again, I could tell it was working a bit, but it was uneven, my right side was feeling a lot more pain than my left side. And the pain on my left side was slightly dulled, but not like it should be with an epidural. They told me to give it a few minutes and it would kick in. But after waiting a while, they could tell I was still way more uncomfortable than I should be so they gave me another dose. I was still waiting for it to fully kick in when I felt my water break. Right after that I announced that I was feeling pressure. The nurse asked if I felt like I needed to push, and that she would check me if I felt the urge to push, but that she would wait a few minutes to check me if it wasn’t urgent. I didn’t really feel like I had to push yet, so I said she could wait. After a couple more contractions I said I was feeling a lot of pressure and that she might want to check me. Now it was about 2:40am. Remember less than an hour ago my cervix was only a 4. There was never a chance for them to find that I had completely dilated. I never got to hear what all laboring women long to hear, “You are 10 centimeters dilated!” Instead when she checked me she announced, “Yep, you have a baby in your vagina!” Ha! The nurse told me I could push, and had another nurse rush out to find the doctor. After about 10-15 minutes of pushing, she was born at 2:55am. There was meconium in the amniotic fluid, but she breathed and cried right away, so they put her on my chest. She was so beautiful! By 3:15am she was already nursing. She weighed 8 pounds and 11 ounces and was 20 3/4 inches long. Her apgar scores were both 9.

Well, I could say more, but it took forever to get all this out, with 2 breaks to nurse the little muffin, and another break to put together a pan of enchiladas for dinner. I’m exhausted. I’ll leave you with a few pictures.

Daddy getting Kaisa all cleaned up.

Big siblings coming to meet their new sister.

My grandma came to meet her new great granddaughter. I love this picture!

All dressed up to go home.

That’s all for now! Thanks for looking!

]]>https://insearchofpearls.wordpress.com/2013/01/25/kaisas-birth-story/feed/6insearchofpearlsThis picture was taken about 3 hours before she was born. Daddy getting Kaisa all cleaned up. Big siblings coming to meet their new sister. My grandma came to meet her new great granddaughter. I love this picture!All dressed up to go home. That's all for now! Thanks for looking! It’s been a while!https://insearchofpearls.wordpress.com/2012/12/08/its-been-a-while/
https://insearchofpearls.wordpress.com/2012/12/08/its-been-a-while/#commentsSat, 08 Dec 2012 02:34:53 +0000http://insearchofpearls.wordpress.com/?p=101]]>Sorry it’s been a while since I’ve blogged! I’ve been very busy preparing for Christmas and also for Kaisa’s arrival. Only a few weeks left!

I thought I’d give an update on my highly successful baby shower last month! I was worried that not many people would be able to make it on such short notice, but the party was hoppin’! I don’t think another body would have fit in my friend Laura’s house! Not comfortably at least. Three lovely ladies who are very special to me, Laura, Sara and Talia, worked together to make Kaisa’s baby shower truly special. It was amazing to me how you 3, and everyone else who participated, were able to not only celebrate Kaisa’s life, and make me feel oh so loved, but also bless 2 little orphans in the process! I’d call that a success, wouldn’t you?! Before the shower Marnie’s adoption grant on Reece’s Rainbow read $306. After we sent in all your donations (along with online donations sent in) her grant read $437.50! Before the shower Samuel’s adoption grant stood at $157. Afterward he now has $306.50! I find that completely amazing, and I am so thankful to all of you who were able to give. Look at how God took a small group of people and multiplied their pennies to bless these two precious ones. It never fails to amaze me how God does that! We often think we have so little to give, what is the point? But I think we are actually missing the point entirely. God actually calls believers to give generously to those in need, to defend the cause of the widow and the orphan, to embrace the little children and not hinder them… and even if we have very little in the way of money to give, God can use it! He can multiply it! Just like Jesus did with the loaves and fishes:

Matthew 14:14-21

14 When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them and healed their sick. 15 Now when it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a desolate place, and the day is now over; send the crowds away to go into the villages and buy food for themselves.” 16 But Jesus said, “They need not go away; you give them something to eat.” 17 They said to him, “We have only five loaves here and two fish.” 18 And he said, “Bring them here to me.” 19 Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass, and taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and said a blessing. Then he broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. 20 And they all ate and were satisfied. And they took up twelve baskets full of the broken pieces left over. 21 And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children.

This same story is retold in John 6, and there it says the loaves and fishes were a small boys lunch, but he gladly handed it over to the disciples. One child gave sacrificially and Jesus used his gift to bless more than 5,000 people. And had 12 baskets of leftovers! I think we could all do well to remember that God takes our small gifts, and multiplies them. This also brings to mind these verses:

Mark 12:41-44

41 And he sat down opposite the treasury and watched the people putting money into the offering box. Many rich people put in large sums. 42 And a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which make a penny.[a]43 And he called his disciples to him and said to them, “Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box. 44 For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.”

The Lord knows our circumstances, He knows whether we give out of plenty or out of poverty, and he blesses our gifts, donations, and tithes accordingly.

All that to say that I am so grateful for the generosity of all of you! You showed the love and generous spirit of Christ to me and to the “least of these”, my sweet prayer warrior kiddos, Marnie and Samuel. Thank you all!

Please also continue to pray for them to find a family soon! The fact that they will spend another Christmas in an orphanage is heart breaking. I pray that by next Christmas they will be home with their forever families! For those who would like to see their beautiful faces again and read their profiles, here are their links:

And for fun here are a few pictures from the shower! These are all from my sister in law Talia, I didn’t take any myself. If any of you have cute pictures from the shower on your camera or phone, please share!

Me after a shower game, where someone would say something about how we met, or something nice about me and then decorate me with a sticker or bow.

Another fun shower game where you have to draw a picture of a baby on a paper plate that is on top of your head!

My awesome sister in law and mother in law playing the paper plate game.

Debbie’s (Mother in law) plate on the left. Talia’s (sister in law) on right. Hehe.

Cana thoroughly enjoying her cupcake. Apparently she had 3.

My favorite keepsake from the shower:

Filled out with help from Aunt Talia. I will keep this forever!

Several other guests filled out wishes for Kaisa, and I cried when I read them. They are all so sweet and beautiful. We will treasure them always! Thank you everyone!

]]>https://insearchofpearls.wordpress.com/2012/12/08/its-been-a-while/feed/3insearchofpearlsMe after a shower game, where someone would say something about how we met, or something nice about me and then decorate me with a sticker or bow. :) Another fun shower game where you have to draw a picture of a baby on a paper plate that is on top of your head! My awesome sister in law and mother in law playing the paper plate game. Debbie's (Mother in law) plate on the left. Talia's (sister in law) on right. Hehe. Cana thoroughly enjoying her cupcake. Apparently she had 3. Filled out with help from Aunt Talia. I will keep this forever! Baby Shower! Anyone and Everyone can Participate!https://insearchofpearls.wordpress.com/2012/11/08/marnie/
https://insearchofpearls.wordpress.com/2012/11/08/marnie/#commentsThu, 08 Nov 2012 04:26:09 +0000http://insearchofpearls.wordpress.com/2012/11/08/marnie/]]>This Sunday is Kaisa’s baby shower. But it won’t be your typical shower. I wanted to do something different, something special… and at the same time, I felt guilty about having a baby shower at all seeing as how this is my 4th child, and we really don’t need anything for her! But my lovely friends Laura and Sara conspired to throw me a shower anyway. At first they suggested making it a Pamper Party for me since Kaisa didn’t need anything. That was a very thoughtful suggestion, but I didn’t really feel right about that either. Then I had a thought. What if we could celebrate Kaisa, AND do something good for someone in need? And I knew just the 2 little people I wanted to help out. You see, in September, Cana and I became prayer warriors through Reece’s Rainbow for 2 orphans halfway across the world who have Down Syndrome. Caden and Ovalyn. We committed to pray for them every night, and every night we did pray. We put up a picture of their sweet faces on our wall map, and they would come up in conversation from time to time. Cana was particularly fond of little Ovalyn and asked more than once if we could bring her home. She’s such a sweet girl.

So, my thought was that in lieu of gifts, a donation be made to Caden or Ovalyn’s adoption grants on Reece’s Rainbow. Yesterday however, I checked on both Caden and Ovalyn’s links and neither were working. I didn’t know what to think, so I hurriedly sent off a few messages to the wonderful folks at Reece’s Rainbow and very quickly got a response that unfortunately the region that they are living in has recently closed to American adoptions, and therefore they no longer have open files, and there is no way to donate to their adoption grants. My heart sank. Not only because of my upcoming baby shower plans, but mostly because of those two sweet little faces that Cana and I have grown so attached to, and all of the other orphans living in their region. No longer accepting American adoption will drastically reduce the chance that they will be adopted. Which just makes my heart hurt for them. I can only console myself that our Father in Heaven knows them and loves them, much more than I do. I continue to pray that they find a forever family, even though, now I will likely never know their outcome. Here are their little faces. Please pray for them?

And so, even though I can obviously continue to pray for them, I was set up with new prayer warrior kids whose profiles are active and I can check in on them and donate to their adoption grants. Though I am sad that I cannot bless Caden and Ovalyn in a tangible way now, I am glad to be set up with two new precious little ones through the Prayer Warrior program on Reece’s Rainbow, and I hope and pray that this baby shower can in some small way, bless them and spread awareness to the plight of the orphan. Now, I am happy to introduce you to Marnie, and Samuel!

Aren’t they precious? Little Marnie was born the same month and year as Cana. Please visit their profiles here to learn more about them:

These little children, who are so treasured in the eyes of God, are orphans because they were born with an extra chromosome. They deserve a loving family, just as much as my own children do, and it pains me to think of them spending most of their time in an orphanage crib, getting the bare minimum for survival, simply because they have a tiny extra chromosome. A little something special.

Friends and family, near and far, please consider these sweet faces. If you are so inclined, would you consider praying for them? Sending a tax deductible donation to their adoption grants on Reece’s Rainbow? Spread the word about them, advocate for them? Know anyone interested in adoption? Perhaps you have a little extra room in your home and heart? Every prayer and penny counts. Anyone can easily participate in my baby shower by doing one of these things for little Marnie and Samuel. Donations can be made online, or sent in via check. Pray for them, or share their links on your Facebook or blog anytime! It would mean so much to me if my friends and family would take a moment and bless one or both of these little treasures. Kaisa and I thank you from the bottom of our hearts!

And just a last word on the baby shower. My local family and friends who were to be invited were supposed to be receiving invitations in the mail, but because of some planning mix-ups they were not sent. I am trying to fill in as many as possible through Facebook messages and texts. I fear very few will be able to attend the actual shower in person because of the short notice, but the great thing about this baby shower is that you can participate from near or far!

Just click the link and scroll down the the section that says “$100-$499 Raised” (so far her Angel Tree warrior has raised $306 for Marnie!), Find little Marnie’s face and hover over the donate button just below her name. A box will pop up that says, “Buy Ornament $35” or “Just Donate”.]]>

https://insearchofpearls.wordpress.com/2012/11/08/marnie/feed/6insearchofpearlsImageImageImageImageFall is in the Air!https://insearchofpearls.wordpress.com/2012/10/27/fall-is-in-the-air/
https://insearchofpearls.wordpress.com/2012/10/27/fall-is-in-the-air/#commentsSat, 27 Oct 2012 00:06:47 +0000http://insearchofpearls.wordpress.com/?p=79]]>Yes, it’s officially Fall! It took a little bit for the weather to change over here in Oregon, but being Oregon, it is finally living up to it’s reputation and raining tons. These are some pictures of the kids enjoying the falling leaves. I actually took these pictures October 2nd, before it started to cool down much. Cana, Loyal and Judah scooped up a bunch of leaves, dumped them into the plastic kiddie pool and started rolling around in them. They had a blast!

I absolutely love how something so simple can bring so much joy to children! Couldn’t we all benefit by taking a cue from them? There is so much to enjoy in this world for little to no cost!

So Fall has finally arrived, but what’s even more exciting is the arrival of a precious little bundle of cuteness! My brother and his wife welcomed their first child early this October, a beautiful baby boy whom they named Finley. Finley is my very first nephew and my kids first cousin! So it has been a super exciting time in our family and we are all so thankful for him. Here are a few cell phone pics I’ve snapped of him when we’ve been to visit.

Uncle Josh, meeting his nephew for the first time (while also wearing Judah on his back, lol).

Close up. Isn’t he precious?!

My brother letting the big kids get a good look.

After they came home we went to visit and Cana got to hold him for the first time. She was in love right away.

Finley was so sweet examining his big cousin. I think they will be fast friends.

Today is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Day. All across the globe today, families who have been touched by the loss of a little life, before or after birth, are remembering their missing babies by lighting a candle at 7pm. If you leave the candle lit for at least an hour, there will be a continuous wave of light across the whole Earth in all time zones. It’s a simple way to remember the precious ones we never got to hold, or who we only got to hold a short time. Are you participating? Today we remember Emory and Shiloh who find rest in our heavenly Father’s arms. Shiloh’s due date would have been in just 10 days, on October 25th. Who are you remembering? I would love it if you left a comment with your little one’s name. I think in the midst of grief it’s important to also celebrate the lives of our “angel babies”, however short those lives may have been. They are still a perfectly unique, beautiful individual who’s existence deserves remembrance and celebration.

I remember when I was first dealing with the emotional and physical pain of losing Shiloh, I felt bitter, wondering, “If I was going to miscarry, why did I have to even get pregnant at all? I would rather have not gotten pregnant in the first place, and then I wouldn’t have to feel this way.” But through the grieving process, and through God’s healing my heart I came to a realization that that was the wrong attitude. Even though it hurt so much to say goodbye so early, I don’t regret their existence. Even though I didn’t get to hold them, I know someday I will. To wish them away, wish that they had never been conceived, would be to underestimate the value of their eternal souls, and to underestimate how deeply their lives touched our hearts forever. Their lives have purpose. However short, life has purpose!

I also want to give a shout out to the families who were in the process of adoption and lost their children before they were able to bring them home. In my mind their loss is just as real and painful as mine, and my heart goes out to them.

So tonight, we light a candle. Will you? Tonight I am praying for those who have experienced this sort of loss. Leave a comment and I would be happy to pray for you as well. I pray that the peace of Christ will rule in your hearts.

6Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

(image credit to Startpage search engine)

]]>https://insearchofpearls.wordpress.com/2012/10/15/wave-of-light/feed/5insearchofpearls317668_279438622080027_157510854_ncandle_Candle_light_1010Awarenesshttps://insearchofpearls.wordpress.com/2012/10/01/awareness/
https://insearchofpearls.wordpress.com/2012/10/01/awareness/#commentsMon, 01 Oct 2012 23:55:12 +0000http://insearchofpearls.wordpress.com/?p=58]]>It’s October! Where on Earth did September go?! Well, out with the old and in with the new. With October comes a need for awareness. October is National Down Syndrome Awareness Month, and also Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month. Whew! That’s kind of a big deal! So over the course of the next month, I will be sharing information about both. I will still post family updates as well. So first off, a little information about how Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month was started. Here is a word from our former president Ronald Reagan:

Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month

Each year, approximately a million pregnancies in the U.S. end in miscarriage, stillbirth or the death of the newborn child. National observance of Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month offers us the opportunity to increase our understanding of the great tragedy involved in the deaths of unborn and newborn babies. It also enables us to consider how, as individuals and communities, we can meet the needs of bereaved parents and family members on work to prevent causes of these problems.

Health care professionals recognize that trends of recent years, such as smaller family size and postponement of childbearing, adds another dimension of poignancy to the grief of parents who have lost infants. More than 700 local, national and international support groups are supplying programs and strategies designed to help parents cope with their loss. Parents who have suffered their own losses, health care professionals and specially trained hospital staff members are helping newly bereaved parents deal constructively with loss…

The Congress, by Senate Joint Resolution 314, has designated the month of October, as “Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month” and authorized and requested the President to issue a proclamation in observance of this month.

NOW, THEREFORE, I RONALD REAGAN, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim the month of October as Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month. I call upon the people of the United States to observe this month with appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-fifth day of October in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and eighty-eight and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirteenth.

Thank you Ronald Reagan for recognizing this need and helping to bring awareness to it. Our family has experienced the pain of miscarriage. Just before we conceived Judah we lost a baby, whom we named Emory. And again, just a couple months before conceiving Kaisa (whom I’m still pregnant with, she is due January 2nd), we had another loss. We named that baby Shiloh because it means “peace”. Ironically, Shiloh’s due date would have been this October 25th. So Pregnancy and Infant Awareness Month this year is timely for us. We have grieved for the loss of our children that we never got to meet, but rejoice in the comforting knowledge that they are awaiting us in Heaven, enjoying the love of our Savior, who we know cares deeply for the little children.

Matthew 19:14 (ESV)

14 but Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.”

So the tears we have wept were not for Emory or Shiloh. They were for ourselves, for having missed out on the opportunity to know them in this life. But there will come a time for embracing them.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 (ESV)

1For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:

2 a time to be born, and a time to die;
a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;3 a time to kill, and a time to heal;
a time to break down, and a time to build up;4 a time to weep, and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn, and a time to dance;5 a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together;
a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;6 a time to seek, and a time to lose;
a time to keep, and a time to cast away;7 a time to tear, and a time to sew;
a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;8 a time to love, and a time to hate;
a time for war, and a time for peace.

A time for peace…

And since it is also the beginning of Down Syndrome Awareness Month, I leave you with this:

(image credit to Google)

]]>https://insearchofpearls.wordpress.com/2012/10/01/awareness/feed/4insearchofpearls99peoplefirstiammiaworkingmanGod Gave Me Youhttps://insearchofpearls.wordpress.com/2012/09/30/god-gave-me-you/
https://insearchofpearls.wordpress.com/2012/09/30/god-gave-me-you/#commentsSun, 30 Sep 2012 01:42:22 +0000http://insearchofpearls.wordpress.com/?p=48]]>Last weekend my awesome husband Josh and I spent 2 blissful nights at the beach, sans kids, to celebrate our anniversary. We’ve now been married for 8 years! And having dated for about 5 years prior to that, we have been together for 13 years! Whew, what a ride it’s been so far! We’ve certainly been through ups and downs as any marriage does, and happily, we are at a wonderful place in life right now. God has used all of the challenges, struggles and valleys to shape us and teach us, and most importantly, to draw us nearer to Him.

Romans 5:3-5 (ESV)

3 Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

We sent the kiddos off the their grandparents’. Judah spent the weekend with Josh’s mom for some special one on one time, and our older 2, Cana and Loyal, spent their time with my parents. They were all spoiled and doted on and I do believe that they had as much fun as we did! Hopefully the grandparents had some fun too. While the kids were blowing bubbles and making forts and creating special memories with their grandma’s and grandpa, Josh and I luxuriated in the quiet! We relaxed, walked the beach everyday, took an uninterrupted nap, ate good food, and did some leisurely shopping, of course picking up a trinket for each child, and goodies for the helpful grand-folk. It was nothing fancy, but it was exactly what we needed. God has brought us to such a wonderful place in our relationship, a place of closeness, understanding, fellowship, and deepened love. I see God still shaping us, individually and as one. I can’t wait to see where God leads us from here on out! Here we are married 8 years and we are awaiting the birth of our 4th child. A surprise pregnancy at that, when we thought it was impossible for us to have such surprises due to my fertility issues. We are so thankful and blessed! I know God has more in store for us, and I look forward to discovering what it is. May we step out in faith wherever He leads us.